SIMA 2017- Technology concepts indicate the future of arable farming

One of the big three European farm equipment shows alongside
Germany’s Agritechnica and Italy’s EIMA, the French SIMA exhibition
provided some pointers to the way arable farming’s future lies. From
greater precision in crop protection product application to real-time
weather data that helps aid agronomy decisions, a number of new
technology concepts look likely to shape the way crops will be cared
for in years to come.

Protecting the Soil

While the ability to operate wider equipment reduces passes, the
impact of higher capacity but heavier equipment on soils continues to
cause concern for farmers and advisers, whether land is under a
conventional, minimum or no-tillage establishment system. A move
towards tracked tractors has proved to provide only a partial answer,
with headland smearing when turning being one downside. To this end,
two systems at SIMA addressed tyred machine shortcomings.

Systems allowing lowering of tyre
pressures for tractor field work and reinflation for road travel
are becoming increasingly popular. Michelin’s EvoBib ‘2-in-1’
field/road tread is designed to take full advantage of these by
combining a conventional tractor tyre chevron pattern for field
work with a full central band for road travel. When inflated to
road pressure, only the central band is in ground contact, while
when reduced to field/working pressure the entire tread meets the soil.

Overcoming Human and Mechanical Limitations

Autonomous tractor technology which
allows machines to work around the clock when conditions are ideal
and overcomes the problem of finding labour to work long fieldwork
hours was evident at SIMA. CNH Industrial’s Case IH and New
Holland autonomous tractors differ in that the former is a cabless
machine designed to drive itself between fields only on private
roads, whereas the New Holland version is cabbed, and as such can
be driven to the intended field on public roads before being left
to fulfil its task. Both rely on sub-2.5cm GPS for guidance and
radar/lidar/sensor technology to ensure safety, with remote
observation and control via desktop or tablet computer. Case IH
says while immediate production is unlikely, elements of the
development are likely to be incorporated into forthcoming
tractors, perhaps initially in those, for example, used in
orchard/vineyard work, where rigidly-formed field/tree systems
could allow relatively easy adoption. The tractors can also decide
for themselves whether to stop work, based on weather data, and
where private roads connect fields, can be programmed to even move
to other fields where conditions are drier.

Meanwhile, electrically-driven
machines were another SIMA theme, with John Deere showing a
battery-powered tractor. Depending on their eventual production
price and the cost of charging and maintaining them, the
possibility exists for such machines to reduce arable production
costs by cutting the fuel requirements for establishing, nurturing
and harvesting crops.

Maximising Application Accuracy

Systems for improving application accuracy were another SIMA
highlight. With a slope difference of just two degrees resulting in a
possible 4m reduction in fertiliser spreading width and disruption to
spread pattern, Massey Ferguson’s Hydraulic Top Link Control system
maintains implement angle regardless of incline, compensating not only
for working on slopes, but also for the weight of the loaded spreader
on the linkage and effects of front axle suspension.

Sprayer maker Amazone’s HeightSelect provides automatic height
control, recognising the nozzle selection made in the firm’s AmaSelect
sprayer controller, and then lowers the boom automatically to the
correct ride height in the field. Horsch unveiled a system with
similar attributes, labelled Autoselect. Meanwhile, John Deere showed
its ExactApply intelligent nozzle system, featuring six nozzles on a
rotating turret and two electrically-operated liquid valves, allowing
switching between two nozzles and independent control of both spray
pressure and flow rate at the nozzle. Flow rate is controlled via
pulse width modulation for forward speeds of 10-30kph at a constant
spraying pressure, or output from 100-300 litres/ha at a constant
spraying speed. In similar fashion, TeeJet’s DynaJet Flex 7140 uses
pulse width modulation to maintain constant droplet size regardless of
ground speed.

Less easily visible at the show but no less important were some
smaller developments. Tameo is an online source of real-time advice
for co-ordinating crops tasks according to type and drilling date,
designed to help forecast the dates on which critical crop stages
should appear. Created by research body Arvalis and Meteo France, the
app has been developed initially for winter wheat, and can be used on
PC, tablet and smartphone. Meanwhile, other technology developments
unveiled at the show included the Sencrop real-time in-field weather
data decision support tool. Based on simple in-field weather stations
which upload weather data in real time, Sencrop is designed to enable
instant decisions to be made on application.

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